


To Save A Prince

by FlamingFawkes



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Deceit is a bully, M/M, Mild Language, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, abuse tw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-05-09 13:03:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14716571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlamingFawkes/pseuds/FlamingFawkes
Summary: Logan is an English teacher at the local high school, he and his partner Patton have adopted two kids: Missy (Misleading Compliment) and Jesse (Pranks). Logan often brings home one of his students, Virgil, for dinner. Virgil is raised by a single mom who has to work several minimum wage jobs just to pay the bills and is immensely thankful that the Sanders watch out for her son. A few months back, Logan started bringing another student home too, Roman. Roman’s dad is incredibly abusive, mentally and physically. After a while, Patton and Logan decide that they need to do something.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Deceit= DC Truman  
> Self-Hate= Shelly

“Sorry, I’m late Mr. Sanders,” Roman muttered as he handed his teacher a late pass and took his seat in the back of the room, careful to keep his jacket hood up to hide the fresh bruises on his face and collarbone. The teacher continued on with the lesson as if nothing had happened. A few kids tried to get a look at him, but Mr. Sanders quickly called their attention back to the front. Roman was glad to not be in the spotlight.

Once Mr. Sanders had set the class to do group work, he waved Roman over to his desk under the pretense of collecting his homework and giving him the notes he had missed. Really, he wanted to see the damage. Roman handed in his homework and Mr. Sanders studied the fresh bruises.

“Is this all, or are there more?” Mr. Sanders asked as he studied Roman’s posture.

“Bruises on my back and ribs, my right wrist is wrapped. I went to see Patton on my way here, that’s why I was late.” Roman muttered as he pretended to read over the notes and ask a question.

“Did you get breakfast?” Mr. Sanders asked.

“Yeah, Patton made me some eggs and toast.” Roman smiled a little and Mr. Sanders sighed in relief.

“Go take a seat, Roman, and work on your essay.” Mr. Sanders said with a small smile of his own. Roman nodded and went back to his seat. Mr. Sanders glanced out at the class before checking the phone in his desk drawer. As expected, he had a message from his partner.

**Patton  
Roman came by, I got him some breakfast and gave him a lunch. His wrist might be sprained and he refused to take off his hoodie to show me the rest of the bruises. Can you check on him? I’m worried Logan, we have to do something!**

Logan glanced around again, making eye contact with Roman before typing out a response.  
**I’m worried too, Pat. I have an idea, but I’m not sure how it will affect my job so I’ll need your support. I’m bringing the boys home for dinner tonight, we can talk about it after.**

The bell rang and the students quickly filed out of the classroom, all except Roman who hung back, slowly collecting his things.

“Roman, would you like to come to dinner tonight?” Logan asked quietly. Roman turned to him with hope in his eyes for the first time that week.

“Is-Is that ok with Patton?” Roman restacked his books to have something to do with his hands. “I don’t want to be a bother or a strain.”

“Nonsense, Roman,” Logan strolled around his desk and wrapped the boy in a hug, which Roman gladly returned. “You’re always welcome at our house, you know that.”

“Thanks, Mr. Sanders.” Roman smiled a genuine smile that reached his brown eyes and made them look less hollow. Logan patted Roman on the shoulder and prepared for his next class.

___***___

Roman went to his locker and grabbed the lunch that Patton had made him that morning. Patton always made 2 extra lunches in the morning, he sent one with one of the other kids in case Roman or Virgil didn’t have one, and he kept one on the counter in case Roman came by before school. From the end of the hall, Roman heard a crash and stuffed his lunch back into the safety of his locker. He had muffled cursing and another crash. Roman slammed his locker shut and ran to the end of the hall just in time to catch the bully’s fist before it could find it’s target’s face.

“Beat it, DC,” Roman growled. “Before the teachers show up.”

“Oh, I forget, you’ve got an in with the teachers, don’t ya Ro?” DC sneered.

“Fuck off, D.” The teen slouched against the lockers spat. “Not our fault none of the teachers like you.”

“Why, you little bastard-” D started, ready to punch the two teens into next week.

“Truman! Principal’s Office!” Mr. Sanders ordered from the door to his classroom. The tall but thin teacher came striding towards the group. “Now, Mr. Truman.” With a mumbled threat, DC was gone.

“Thanks, teach.” The boy on the floor said as he rubbed his head.

“Are you alright, Virgil?” Mr. Sanders kneeled down to look at Virgil’s head. “That’s quite a bump.”

“I’ve had worse,” Virgil shrugged.

“Did you hit the floor or just the lockers this time?”

“Just the lockers, teach,” Virgil said as he reached for his bag. “I’m alright, really.”

“Well, we’ll have Patton take a look at it tonight. Are you still coming for dinner?” Mr, Sanders straightened up and held out his hand to Virgil before pulling the boy to his feet.

“I’d never turn down Patton’s cooking!” Virgil smirked, it was the closest he got to a smile during school hours.

“Excellent, I’ll tell him to put out extra place settings then.”

“Hey, Mr. Sanders?” Virgil asked quietly.

“Oh, don’t tell me…” Logan took one look at Virgil’s expression and sighed. “Patton always gives me an extra sandwich, come on you two.” Roman ran back to his locker to grab his lunch before following Virgil and Logan into the classroom. It was always pleasant when Roman got to eat lunch with Logan, he didn’t push for any information about what was happening at home, he didn’t try to make small talk. They all simply ate their food and talked about nothing in particular. It truly was the highlight of Roman’s week.

___*****___

After the final bell rang, Roman ran out of math class as fast as he could without getting into trouble and grabbed his bag from his locker before heading to Logan’s classroom. He met up with Virgil in the hall and they waited outside the door for the last senior to leave before entering, dropping all formalities as they did so.

“Hey, Logan!” Roman called as he leaned against one of the desks. Virgil pushed himself up onto the tall table at the front of the room.

“I’ll be right there, boys,” Logan called from his tiny little office. “How were the rest of your classes?”

“Alright, I have to find someone to give a stupid speech with.”

“Never end a sentence with a preposition, Virgil.” You could hear the smirk in Logan’s voice. “You need to find someone with whom to give a stupid speech.”

“Ugh, must he always be an English teacher?” Virgil groaned as he flopped back onto the table. The room filled with laughter as Logan joined them, his book bag hanging from one shoulder.

“Yes, I must. Are you ready boys?” Logan grabbed his keys and they all left the room so he could lock up.

“Race ya to the car,” Roman lightly shoved Virgil and took off.

“Hey! Get back here!” Virgil ran after him, leaving Logan shaking his head with a small smile on his face. He was glad that they could still be kids despite their home lives. But hopefully, he was going to change some of that tonight after dinner.

“Boys, the car’s over here today,” Logan called and then the sound of sneakers squeaking on laminate and a crash from down the hall reached his ears. He was worried for a moment until:

“I’m still gunna beat you, Virge!”

“Fat chance, Ro!” Logan just smiled as he walked downstairs and out to his car, the teens still yelling and chasing after each other all the way into the parking lot.


	2. Part 2

“Hey, kiddos!” A warm voice came from the kitchen as Virgil and Roman kicked off their shoes and threw their bags in a corner.

“Hey, Pat!” They called in unison as they headed for the warm kitchen.

“How was school, kiddos?” A man turned from the stove and leaned against the counter. His black glasses were sliding down his nose a little, he pushed them up to frame soft brown eyes. He wore a blue polo and a gray cardigan was tied around his shoulders, Roman always thought that he looked like those pictures from the 1980s.

“Meh, it was school.” Virgil shrugged as he grabbed an apple from the bowl on the counter. “Nothing super exciting.”

“Oh?” Patton looked over at Logan. “And how was lunch, kiddo?” Virgil blushed.

“It’s fine, Pat, really,” He mumbled, hand going to the back of his head subconsciously. “It doesn’t even hurt that much.”

“Let me see it, Virge.” Virgil pushed off the counter and turned around so Patton could check the back of his head, with a small hum he went to look at his eyes. “Well, no concussion but you’ve got quite a bump. Put some ice on it before dinner.” Virgil grabbed an ice pack from the freezer before popping onto the counter to eat his apple.

“Hey, Pat,” Logan pecked his partner as he set his lunch bag and travel mug next to the sink.

“Hey, Lo,” Patton returned to the stove with a smile. “How was your day?”

“Fairly uneventful,” Logan glanced at Virgil before leaning on the counter next to the stove. “How was yours?”

“Pretty quiet, I saw a new dog on my walk!” Virgil and Roman snorted in laughter.

“Don’t you boys have homework?” Logan asked pointedly. Virgil and Roman looked at each other before leaving the kitchen to do their homework upstairs with the twins.

“Who was it?” Patton asked after a minute of silence.

“DC” Logan answered quietly.

“How many times-?”

“Twice before Roman got there,” Patton looked up at Logan.

“He stopped him?” Patton asked in disbelief.

“Yes, why?”

“He could barely carry his backpack this morning,” Concern filled his normally cheerful features. Logan wrapped him in a hug. “Lo, I’m worried about him.”

“I know, Patton,” Logan stroked Patton’s hair as he whispered. “I am too.”

“He can’t keep going like this,” Patton muttered sadly.

“I know,” Logan looked at the door the boys had left through. “That’s why we’re going to get him out of there.”

“Logan?!” Patton said excitedly, pulling back enough to see the hard, determined look in his eyes. “Do you mean…”

“Yes, Patton,” Logan looked down at him, “We’re going to bring Roman home.”

___*****___

Roman and Virgil went back to the entryway to get their bags. Virgil noticed how Roman winced when he slung his bag onto his shoulder. They headed upstairs, meaning to go to the spare room to do their homework with the twins.

“Show me.” Virgil stopped walking. Roman turned around to look at him, his fists were balled and his eyes downcast.

“What?” Roman hadn’t been sure he’d heard Virgil correctly.

“I said, show me,” Virgil looked up at Roman with concern in his eyes and an edge of ‘this isn’t a request’ in his voice. Wordlessly, Roman dropped his bag and walked into the bathroom, Virgil did the same and closed the door. Roman slowly pulled his hoodie off and pulled his white t-shirt over his head, wincing in pain. Virgil inhaled sharply at the sight.

Roman’s ribs were a gruesome rainbow of blue, black, purple, and a sickly green, There were bruises along his arms in stripes, like large fingers and his right wrist was wrapped in an ace bandage. There were several bruises on his neck too. A nasty green bruise was peeking up on his left hip. Roman slowly turned around to show the splotchy pattern on his back.

“Did you show this to Patton?” Virgil asked in quiet awe. Roman shook his head.

“I couldn’t hide the ones on my face, so he helped me subdue them.” Roman reached under the counter and grabbed some make-up wipes. He slowly wiped the concealer and foundation away to reveal dark bruises on his cheek and jawline and a nasty looking deep purple one on his forehead. He wiped his neck and the colors there became darker and more hand shaped. “That was also hard to hide without makeup.”

“Ro- I- I don’t know what to say…” Virgil said quietly as he took in the bruises covering his friend’s upper half. “I’m sorry. This shouldn’t be happening to you.” Roman shrugged and made to grab his t-shirt.

“Roman, you know that you don’t deserve any of this, right?” Virgil grabbed his arm in a firm but loose grip, one that Roman could easily pull out of but he didn’t. He froze. After a minute, he looked up at Virgil with confusion. “You did nothing to provoke this. You deserve a dad who cares for you. Not this, this is abuse and it’s awful-“

“I know what it is, Virge,” Roman said quietly, eyes going to the floor. “But maybe I do deserve it. If I was just a little more… normal… maybe this wouldn’t be happening. Maybe he would be more proud of me.”

“No, Roman,” Virgil gently pulled Roman into a hug. Roman grabbed onto him like a lifeline and before long, Virgil could feel the tears hitting his shoulder. He held Roman closer as he continued. “It doesn’t matter what you do, someone like that will always find something about you that they don’t like. You’re human and you have flaws. That’s not to say that those flaws are bad, they’re what make you special. Those are the things I like most about you. And we will get you out of there. Me, Logan, Patton; we’re all on your side, you know that you can always come here or even to my place if you need to.”

“Thanks, Virge,” Roman mumbled, still gripping the other boy’s shirt.

“You don’t deserve this, Ro,” Virgil gave him a slight squeeze. “But you know that you have to show the rest of these to Patton, right?” Roman nodded.

“Will you come with me?” He asked, his voice so muffled that Virgil almost didn’t hear him.

“Yeah, we’ll go together,” Virgil grabbed Roman’s shirt and red hoodie before the pair exited the bathroom and went back downstairs. Patton gasped and started crying when he saw how bad it was, Logan was speechless. There were no words said, Patton hugged Roman to him and Logan watched on with wide eyes. After a few minutes, Logan finally found his voice.

“Roman,” He said quietly walking over and placing a gentle hand on Roman’s shoulder. “We can’t sit idly by any longer and watch this happen to you.”

“What?” Roman looked between Logan and Patton. Patton slid an arm around Logan’s waist.

“We’re going to help you get away from your father, kiddo,” Patton said with a soft smile. “I’ve been filing reports with the police on your behalf for a while now.”

“You- you have?” Roman’s eyes filled with fear.

“Don’t worry, Roman,” Logan put a little pressure on his shoulder. “The reports don’t have our names on them, he’ll never know who’s been reporting him. The reports just say that someone in the school noticed the injuries. The police should have enough information now to begin an investigation.”

“In-investigation?” Roman’s voice wavered.

“Kiddo, it’s ok,” Patton’s forehead creased in worry at the fear coming from Roman. Roman looked over to where Virgil was sitting on the counter, something clicked for Virgil.

“You’re worried that it’ll get worse…” Virgil’s eyes widened as he realized just how dangerous this could be.

“Roman, we will protect you,” Logan said firmly. “He won’t be able to come near you. You’ll be safe, you’ll be with us during the investigation. After tomorrow, you won’t have to go back there ever again.” Roman tried to say something, anything, but his voice wouldn’t work. Instead, he just started sobbing. Patton enveloped him in a hug, Logan wrapping his arms around the pair too.

“You’ll be safe, Roman,” Logan said quietly as he stroked the brown locks with just a hint of purple. “We won’t let anything happen to you. We promise.” Roman shuddered as he cried in relief against Patton’s chest. Virgil watched on quietly, glad that he had brought Roman here all those months ago when the first bruises started to appear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! A huge shoutout and thank you to Roman for beta-ing this for me. If you liked the story, please give it a kudos and leave a comment. I do read all of them and they make me want to write more. There will be more parts coming and I'll probably have to add additional tags. If there are any errors or if there's a tag I should add, please don't be afraid to let me know!
> 
> As always, be kind in the comments!


	3. Chapter 3

After dinner was eaten and homework was done, everyone gathered in the living room for a movie. It was Roman’s choice tonight, so they ended up watching Moana. Roman snuggled up with Patton on the couch and Virgil sat on the floor in front of them. Missy and Jesse sat on the other couch. Much to Jesse’s annoyance, everyone sang along to every song. After the first 3 songs, 2 of which weren’t even in English, he went to sit with Logan in the kitchen where he was grading papers. Jesse plugged in some headphones and read a book. Logan glanced up at his son and smiled before going back to grading.

After about an hour, a song came on but no one was singing. Logan got up and went into the living room to check on everyone. Jesse had gone up to bed a while ago, but everyone else was still in the living room. Roman and Patton had fallen asleep snuggled together, Virgil was asleep against the couch in front of them with Missy cuddled up against his side and using his shoulder as a pillow. Logan smiled softly and took a picture. They all looked so peaceful, he didn’t want to wake them up but it was almost eleven o’clock and Roman and Virgil needed to get home. Logan crept behind the couch and carefully woke up Patton.

“Pat, love,” Logan gently shook Patton’s shoulder, enough to wake him up but not enough to wake up Roman. “Patton, wake up.”

“Hmm…” Patton opened his eyes and smiled up at Logan. “Lo? What time is it?”

“Almost eleven, we need to get the boys home.” Logan motioned to the sleeping teens, Patton stifled a giggle, but his smile grew wider. “I’ll get the keys if you wake them all up?”

“Sure, did you take a picture, Logan?” Patton asked as Logan straightened.

“Of course I did,” Logan said as he showed Patton his phone. Patton almost squealed from how cute it was. As Logan walked away to get the car keys, he heard Patton gently waking the sleeping teens. Virgil carried Missy upstairs to her room, not wanting to wake her and Roman went to put his shoes back on. Once everyone had their shoes and bags, Logan ushered them all out the door. Before they’d even gotten a block away from the house, Patton quietly got Logan’s attention.

“Lo, look,” Patton was looking at the backseat. Logan looked in the rearview mirror and saw that Virgil had fallen asleep with his head on Roman’s shoulder. Roman’s head was nestled right on top of Virgil’s. Patton took out his phone and took a picture. “They’re just so cute, Lo!”

“That is very accurate, Pat,” Logan refocused on the road as he drove to Virgil’s house.

“I’m glad that Roman can still smile, despite everything,” Patton said quietly, still watching the sleeping boys. “He sure is a fighter, huh?”

“He is, but he won’t have to fight much longer,” Logan said, his jaw set. They pulled up to Virgil’s apartment complex.

“Alright, Virgil,” Patton reached back and shook his shoulder gently to wake him up. “Head upstairs and go right to bed.”

“Thanks for the ride, guys,” Virgil mumbled as he untangled himself from Roman and grabbed his bag. “And thanks for dinner, Patton.”

“You’re welcome, kiddo,” Patton beamed. “Have a good night.”

“Good night, Virgil,” Logan said.

“Night,” Virgil got out of the car and went into the complex. Once a light flashed on upstairs to signal that he’d made it in ok, Logan pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards Roman’s house.

“Do we have to take him there?” Patton asked with a pout as he looked back at the sleeping Roman. He looked so much more peaceful like this than when he was awake.

“Yes, Patton,” Logan said sadly. “I don’t like it either, but you remember the deal we made with the officer. Roman goes home every night and our names don’t go on the reports. This is his last night if everything goes well.”

“You’re right, I just worry about him.” Patton sighed.

“He has our numbers if he needs us,” Logan reminded him, reaching over to take his hand. “He’ll be ok for one more night.” Logan pulled into the driveway and turned off the car. Logan and Patton got out of the car and Patton opened Roman’s door to wake him up.

“Roman, kiddo, you gotta wake up,” Patton said quietly. Roman got out of the car groggily.

“Just one more night, Roman,” Logan put a steady hand on Roman’s shoulder. “Pack a bag in the morning with as many clothes as you can and bring it to the house first thing, ok?”

“Thanks, Logan, Patton, for everything,” Roman said with a yawn. Patton pulled him in for a hug and whispered something into his ear. Roman was smiling when they separated. Logan gave him a hug too before sending up the walk to his father’s house. There was a light on in the kitchen, but the rest of the house was dark. After a few minutes, a light upstairs flickered. They both let out the breath they had been holding and got back in the car to head home. When they were a block away, Roman’s light started flickering before staying on for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short, but a lot happens in the next two chapters so stay tuned! Also please feel free to rant in the comments below, I do read all of the comments and it gives me the fuel to keep going.
> 
> As always, be nice in the comments and I'll see you all tomorrow!


	4. Part 4

Patton was awoken at 3am by a pounding on the door. He jumped out of bed and ran downstairs, forgetting his glasses on the nightstand. He blindly found his way to the door and flung it open, all he saw a blur of red. He didn’t need his glasses to know that it was Roman.

“LOGAN!!” Patton yelled as he ushered the boy inside and closed the door, locking it and sliding the chain across just in case. “LOGAN, IT’S ROMAN BRING MY GLASSES!” Patton ushered Roman into the living room blindly as Logan came running down the stairs, Patton’s glasses in his hand and his own haphazardly pushed onto his face.

“Roman? Roman, what happened?” Logan kneeled beside Roman as he sat on the couch. Patton put on his glasses and sat beside Roman who had his arms wrapped tightly around his middle. Patton went to put an arm around Roman but when he brushed his left shoulder, Roman flinched away.

“Roman?” Patton asked fearful of what Roman’s father had done. “Roman, can you tell us what happened?” Wordlessly, Roman unwound his right arm to reveal a large, hard bump on his left forearm. Patton’s eyes widened in shock.

“Roman, your arm-“ Patton raised a hand to cover his mouth, tears starting to form in the corners of his eyes. Logan snapped into action.

“Patton, go wake the twins. Tell them to get dressed and get down here asap. Then call the officer, and meet us at the hospital.” Patton did as Logan instructed. “Roman, I’m going to go get dressed and then I’ll drive you to the hospital. Just nod your head if you understand.”

Roman nodded. “Ok, I’ll be right back.” Logan ran back upstairs only to return less than 5 minutes later in jeans and a t-shirt. He shoved his feet into his loafers and grabbed the keys before returning to Roman.

“Ok, let’s go to the car. We’ll pick up Virgil on the way.” Logan said as Roman shakily stood up from the couch. Logan turned to yell up the stairs. “Pat, we’re leaving and I’m picking up Virgil on the way!”

“Alright, Logan, I’ll call him to let him know!” Patton called back. And with that Logan unlocked and unchained the door and helped Roman into the front seat of the car. He sped off towards Virgil’s apartment complex, glancing every now and then at the silent boy next to him.

Virgil was waiting outside when Logan pulled up, Virgil ran to the car and jumped into the backseat. As soon as he was buckled Logan took off for the hospital.

“Logan, what happened?” Virgil leaned between the seats to look at Roman. “Pat said he was probably in shock and his arm was broken?”

“We dropped him off right after we dropped you off, he was banging on our door 20 minutes ago,” Logan answered. “Patton’s going to meet us at the hospital with the twins after he calls the officer we’ve been working with. But we figured we should bring you too.”

“Thanks,” Virgil said quickly before turning to Roman. “Ro, can you hear me?”

“Virge?” Roman said in a quiet, slow voice.

“Yeah, Ro,” Virgil sighed in relief. At least he was talking. “Can you tell us what happened?”

“Don’ know…” Roman slurred. “Don’ ‘member…”

“Virgil, keep talking to him. Ask him about something else.” Logan instructed as he drove.

“Uhm, ok…” Virgil floundered for something to ask. “I-I don’t… I don’t know! Logan, I don’t know!”

“It’s ok, Virgil, just try to stay calm.” Logan glanced in the rearview mirror at Virgil. “We’re almost there.”

___*****___

“Yes, hello. I need to speak to Officer Thomas, it’s an emergency.” Patton said into the phone as he pulled on a pair of jeans. “Hello Thomas, this is Patton Sanders…. No, it’s Roman Prince, my partner’s student?… Yes, he showed up at our house yesterday morning covered in fresh bruises and then he was knocking on our door roughly 30 minutes ago. His arm is broken and there’s more bruises on his face. Logan’s taking him to the hospital now, and I’m on my way there myself…. No, I don’t. Roman didn’t say anything. We think he was in shock… Yes, we will bring him down as soon as he’s released…. Thank you, Officer. Goodbye.” Patton hung up the phone and sent a quick text to Logan.

**Talked to Thomas. Leaving soon.**

“Missy, Jesse, are you two ready?” Patton called as he pulled on a blue t-shirt and grabbed a sweater off the end of the bed. Missy ran into the room, still brushing her short brown hair. Jesse ran in right behind her pulling his blond head through the hole of a sweatshirt.

“Ready!” They chorused.

“Alright, kiddos, let’s get going!” Paton grabbed his keys off the dresser and the three of them left for the hospital.

___*****___

Logan pulled right up to the emergency room door and turned to Virgil. “Virgil, take Roman inside and get him checked in. Make sure to tell them what happened and that Mr. Prince is not allowed near Roman.”

“What if he’s already inside?” Virgil asked fearfully.

“If he is, tell the nurse that Mr. Prince has been trying to kill Roman. They’ll protect you both.” Logan told him. Virgil nodded and got out of the car. He helped Roman out before leading him inside. Logan waited until they were through both sets of sliding doors before going to park. He ran inside to meet them.

“Are either of you related to him?” The nurse at the counter asked as Logan came up to them.

“No, I’m Roman’s teacher. My partner and I have been looking out for him for 3 months now. Roman will be staying with us after tonight.” Logan answered her calmly.

“Alright then, I’ll just need your wrist, hun.” Roman didn’t move. The nurse waited patiently for a minute. “Can one of you just lift his right wrist onto the counter?”

“Oh, sure,” Virgil said, he had one hand braced against Roman’s back and used the other hand to gently lift his right arm onto the counter. The nurse quickly put the bracelet on and called for a wheelchair. Another nurse came over with a wheelchair and Virgil eased Roman into it before stepping behind it himself.

“Someone will be right out.” The woman behind the counter said.

“Thank you.” Logan followed Virgil into the waiting area. After a couple minutes, Patton and the twins came in with Starbucks for everyone.

“We stopped and got breakfast on our way.” Patton kissed Logan as the twins set down the coffees and bag of food on a table. “You get him checked in ok?”

“Yeah, someone should be out in a minute,” Logan said taking a cup of coffee from Missy and running a hand through his hair.

“What did the officer say?” Virgil asked as he sipped his coffee.

“Thomas said to bring Roman down to the station as soon as he’s released,” Patton said as he handed out sandwiches to everyone. “We’ll file an official report and then Roman will be placed with us under police protection.”

“What happened?” Jesse asked as he sat beside Virgil on the couch. Patton looked at Logan. They hadn’t told the twins anything yet.

“Roman’s dad isn’t a very nice person, Jess,” Virgil said. “And he beats Roman a lot even though he’s done nothing to deserve it. Your dads are going to help Roman to stay away from him and he’s going to get in a lot of trouble for this.”

“Oh, so that’s why Roman comes over with bruises a lot?” Missy asked as she sat down in a chair. Patton and Logan were looking between each other and the kids in shock and awe.

“Yeah, those are from his dad hitting him. It’s physical abuse,” Virgil explained it better than Patton could ever have hoped to, Logan was immensely proud. “But his dad also tells him a lot of things that aren’t true. That’s the emotional and mental abuse, you can’t physically see those marks but they’re there too.” Missy set down her cocoa and got up to gently hug Roman, being careful of his arm.

“Well, we love you, Roman,” she said as she went back to sit down, a tear slowly slid down Roman’s cheek. Virgil reached out and took his right hand. He rubbed small circles with his thumb. A nurse then came out to get Roman.

“Roman Prince?” He called from next to the front desk. Virgil looked up at Logan and Patton.

“Virge, you and Logan go with Roman. We’ll stay out here.” Patton said, giving Virgil’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Virgil handed Logan his coffee cup before pushing Roman’s wheelchair towards the door that the nurse held open for them.


	5. Part 5

After almost 2 hours, Roman was responsive again and his left arm was set in a cast that went past his elbow and halfway up his upper arm. Roman walked out with Virgil and Logan and immediately got a hug from a very worried Patton.  
  
“Roman! Oh thank goodness, are you ok?” Patton asked as he stepped back. “What happened? You barely said a word this morning. Are you hungry? We can stop and get you something on our way-“  
  
“Patton!” Roman almost had to yell just to get him to stop talking. “I’m alright, it was a clean break so it’ll heal just fine. My father was mad that I was home so late and that I had to get a ride. I tried to tell him that I had fallen asleep at a friend’s house and their parents had driven me home because it was so late. He didn’t believe me and threw me into my desk. That’s how I got the new bruises.  
  
“I tried to leave my room to get away from him, but he started hitting me, I got some new bruises from that too. He pushed me down the stairs which is how my arm got broken. Next thing I knew, I was banging on your door.” Roman stopped there, eyes anywhere but on those standing in front of him. He jumped when Logan placed a hand on his shoulder. Roman looked up at his teacher and saw a sad smile, he gave one back before turning to look at Patton and the twins. They gave him smiles too. Lastly, he turned to Virgil. “Thank you, for explaining everything earlier, Virgil.”  
  
“It wasn’t a big deal,” Virgil shrugged and Roman pulled him into a one-armed hug which quickly became a careful group hug as the rest of the family surrounded them. After a minute, Virgil started to squirm. “Alright, that’s enough. Too much contact, too much.” The group started laughing but they broke the group hug.  
  
“I’m actually starving, breakfast sounds great right about now.” Roman’s stomach growled as if to prove his point.  
  
“Well, let’s get you some food, kiddo,” Patton led the group back outside to the cars.   
  
“Roman, after we get you some food, we will have to go to the police station,” Logan said as he walked beside Roman and Virgil.  
  
“I know,” Roman said. “Whatever it takes to get away from him.”   
  
Logan smiled sadly, Roman was a brave kid but he wondered how much of that was bravado and how much was actual bravery. Surely Roman had to be at least a little scared? Logan himself had seen the fear in Roman’s eyes just yesterday afternoon. That conversation felt so long ago, but it had barely been 12 hours. He had hoped to get Roman out with only bruises, this made things more complicated. Now it was obvious that something had happened. As they drove to a local café, Logan kept glancing back at Roman and Virgil chatting happily in the backseat. Virgil kept watching Logan curiously out of the corner of his eye. They pulled into the parking lot shortly followed by Patton’s car. Virgil pulled Logan aside before they all went inside.  
  
“Logan, you keep watching Roman like you expect him to break apart,” Virgil said, “What’s up? Is there something you’re not telling me?”  
  
Logan sighed and ran a hand through his brown hair. “I’m just… worried is all, Virgil.”  
  
“We’re all worried, Logan,” Virgil said quietly, “But Roman’s going to be fine, his arm will heal and the bruises will fade. He’ll be home and he’ll be safe.”  
  
“I know, Virgil-“ Logan started, putting a hand on the teen’s shoulder.  
  
“Are you guys coming or what?” Roman called from the doorway, startling the pair. With an awkward chuckle, Logan led Virgil inside.  
  
After Patton forced everyone to order some real food, a comfortable silence settled over the group as they ate. Roman was growing frustrated having to use his non-dominant hand and Virgil kept teasing him for it. An hour later, everyone was well fed and talking about nothing in particular as they waited for the check.  
  
“So, Roman,” Logan cleared his throat as they all got up. “Do you think you’ll be ok to go talk to Officer Thomas?”  
  
“Of course, Logan,” Roman said with bravado, placing his fists on his hips. “Why ever wouldn’t I be?”  
  
“Well, it was some pretty serious stuff you’ve been going through,” Virgil muttered keeping an eye on Roman as he crawled out of the booth.  
  
“Nothing I can’t handle-“ Roman started.  
  
“Falsehood,” Logan interrupted him, adjusting his glasses. “Roman, you don’t have to put up a bravado just to hold yourself together.”  
  
“I’m not-“  
  
“Yes, you are!” Virgil was growing irritated, Patton laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. “None of this is ok, and you need to stop acting like it is!”  
  
“I know-“  
  
“No, I don’t think you do, Ro,” Virgil snapped.  
  
“Virge-“ Patton put more pressure on Virgil’s shoulder. Virgil pulled out of Patton’s grasp and stomped out. Everyone stood staring after him, Roman’s expression the most hurt of anyone’s. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it kiddo…”  
  
“Yeah…” Roman muttered, he could see Virgil pacing in the parking lot through the large windows. Logan and Patton shared a worried look.  
  
“Why don’t we run the twins home before we go to see Officer Thomas?” Patton suggested gently.   
  
“Good idea, Pat,” Logan nodded, watching Roman cautiously. “Why don’t you take Virgil home too-“  
  
“No!” Roman yelled before clapping his right hand over his mouth. Logan and Patton blinked at him for a moment. “I-I mean… uhm…”  
  
“It’s alright, kiddo,” Patton smiled knowingly. “I’ll take the twins home and meet you all at the station.” Patton and the twins left for the car before Roman could find his voice again. He looked up at Logan to see the same knowing look that Patton had just had.  
  
“What?” Roman asked defensively. Logan only shook his head and together they left the café.  
  
___*****___  
  
As Patton and the twins left, Patton noticed that Virgil was still pacing around the lot. He motioned for the twins to get in the car. Patton walked over to the distressed teen.  
  
“Virge…” He said softly, suppressing his grin. Virgil didn’t appear to hear him over his muttering.  
  
“Stupid, ungrateful… doesn’t know what he’s doing… gunna get himself hurt, he already did that, he’ll get himself killed, then what’ll I do?... all I try to do is help… stupid Roman, with his stupid smile, and stupid good looks, and stupid laugh, and stupid-“ Virgil had his hands in his hair as he paced. Patton’s low chuckle broke him out of his reverie. “Pat-Patton, how… how long were you- what did you…”  
  
“I heard enough, kiddo,” Patton grinned. He laid a hand on his shoulder and gave him a knowing look over the top of his glasses. “You know, I think Logan said similar things all those years ago.”  
  
“I- I don’t… I’m not… what…?” Virgil’s face was quickly growing red. Patton chuckled and shook his head.  
  
“You’re not really mad at him, are you?”  
  
“Mad at who?” Virgil tried to play dumb to buy himself some time.  
  
“Don’t even try, Virge. I practically invented that game,” Patton waggled his eyebrows. “You’re not really mad at Roman, are you?”  
  
“No! Of course not, he’s my best friend… he’s my only friend actually,” Virgil resumed his pacing and his hands went back to his hair. Now it was sticking up in all directions from him pulling at it. “I could never be mad at him…”  
  
“Virgil, let’s cut straight to the issue here. Or at least, as straight as we’re gunna get,” Patton chuckled at his own joke, Virgil groaned. “I know Roman wants you with him today. He pretty much told us as much inside.”  
  
“He- he did?” Virgil’s eyes went wide as the blush spread.  
  
“Well, he didn’t say that but he didn’t want you to go home either so…”  
  
“I just don’t want anything else to happen to him…” Virgil forced himself to stop before he could say that I can’t protect him from. But Virgil didn’t need to say it, because Patton understood. He’d been there a few times with Logan back when they were in college. Lo wasn’t great with emotions and social nuance now, but he was worse then and often got the tar kicked out of him for it.  
  
“I understand, Virgil,” Patton said. “And I think he does too.” He motioned over his shoulder. Virgil turned to look back at the café. Roman was standing there with Logan by his side, he looked hurt. More so than he did an hour ago. And it cut Virgil deep knowing that he had caused that.   
  
“Go. He’ll understand, Virgil. But only if you tell him.” Virgil looked up at Patton, tears forming in his eyes before he ran back across the parking lot and almost tackled Roman. Logan put a steadying hand on Roman’s back to keep them from crashing through the window. Logan shared a look and another knowing smile with Patton before the latter got into his car and drove off.  
  
“Ro, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t’ve snapped at you like that.” Virgil said in a rush as he stepped back from Roman.  
  
“No, Virge, you were right,” Roman looked down to avoid his friend’s eyes. “I’ve been pretending like everything’s fine for so long, I don’t think I even remember how to just let things not be okay. I just kept brushing things off, pushing them down. And I think, I was hurting you in the process. I-“  
  
“You… don’t have to apologize,” Virgil also couldn’t meet his friend’s eyes as he spoke quietly. “It’s not your fault.”  
  
“It is, and I do!” Roman balled his right fist and the fingers on his left hand twitched as if they wanted to do the same. “Virgil, you’re my best friend and I don’t deserve you. I never have and I never will. All you do is try to look out for me, and how do I repay you? By ignoring all of that and just acting like nothing’s wrong and everything’s fine. By stupidly thinking that I can handle all of this on my own. But I can’t, Virgil. I can’t do this… I can’t…. not without you.” Roman finally looked up with tears in his eyes to see tears streaming down Virgil’s face too.  
  
“Ro, I-“ Virgil couldn’t make the words form. All he could say was: “Roman, I’m sorry.”  
  
“Don’t be sorry,” Roman said as he wiped his own tears away with a sleeve. “Just… come with me?”  
  
“Of course! Where else did you think I’d go?” Virgil was offended that Roman would even think that he wouldn’t.  
  
“Well, we should probably get going then,” Logan said, startling the two teens who’d forgotten he was still there. “Come on, Officer Thomas is waiting for us.”


	6. Announcement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is not a chapter, just an announcement.

Hello all! Thank you so so so much for all of the responses to “To Save A Prince” it really does inspire me to continue writing. Unfortunately, I’m not as fast as I’d like to be when it comes to cranking out these chapters for you all. I’ve decided to go from a daily posting schedule to a weekly posting schedule. I will now be posting chapters on Fridays both on Tumblr @champions-of-spirits and here, on AO3. I’m going to try to get smaller stories out when I can to you guys.

I love hearing from you guys so feel free to hit me up on Tumblr or in the comments below! I will be opening requests soon on Tumblr and I will post those stories here. If you have a request for something you'd like me to write feel free to leave it in the comments of this chapter or drop into my ask box on Tumblr.

Thank you again, guys, for all the support! I'll see you in the comments and as always, be nice down there!


	7. Chapter 6

Logan pulled into a spot in front of the police station and turned off the car. He turned to the teens in the backseat.

“Roman, Officer Thomas already knows quite a bit about your situation from Patton filing reports. Thomas is a friend, he’ll help us and keep us safe.” Roman nodded but didn’t say anything. “All you have to do is tell Thomas what happened the last two nights. I don’t know if we’ll be able to go in with you but we’ll be right outside the door the whole time.”

“Ok,” Roman muttered, his bravado seemed to have been left at that little café. Virgil took his hand and gave it a squeeze before letting go. Roman missed the comforting touch as soon as it was gone but pushed that thought away.

“Are you ready, Roman?” Logan asked. “Or would you like to wait for Patton?”

“Could-could we wait?” Roman asked looking at his knees.

“Sure, he shouldn’t be too long,” Logan turned around in the front seat.

“You ok, Ro?” Virgil asked quietly, watching him through his bangs as he scrolled through Tumblr. Roman shook his head. “You wanna talk about it?”

“I’m scared,” Roman admitted in a voice so quiet that Virgil almost didn’t hear it. “Everyone in town knows my dad. Everyone thinks he’s such a great guy. What if nobody believes me?”

“We believe you,” Virgil reached out his hand again but froze before taking Roman’s again. Roman took Virgil’s outstretched hand so quickly, almost like he expected it to disappear. After a moment of surprised confusion, Virgil started to rub comforting circles with his thumb. “Everyone else will too once it all comes to light. Don’t worry, Ro.”

“What if I get blamed?” Pricks formed behind Roman’s eyes. “What if someone else starts-“

“Roman, no one else will hurt you ever again,” The agency in Virgil’s voice made Roman look up. “Logan and Patton will protect you. Officer Thomas will protect you.”

“What if someone happens to them? What if something happens to you?”

“Nothing’s going to happen to me. No one cares about me enough to come after me, don’t worry about that,” Virgil said. He said similar things a lot. Roman and the Sanders were the only people besides his mom who cared about him.

“What- no, that’s not true,” Roman looked worried.

“Well, no one but you guys anyway,” Virgil shrugged and Roman squeezed his hand.

“Patton’s here, are you ready Roman?” Logan looked at Roman in the rearview mirror, he was pale and swallowed thickly before speaking.

“I-I think so,” Roman said quietly, looking down at his right hand which was still holding Virgil’s.

“You’ll be fine, Ro,” Virgil said with a rare full smile. Roman nodded and the three of them got out of the car. Virgil didn’t let go of Roman’s hand.

___*****___

Logan led them all inside. The building was large and spacious, directly in front of them was a check-in desk for visitors and the general public, off to the side was another desk marked for the police officers. Next to that desk was a set of double doors that never seemed to be fully closed as someone was always walking out of them. Through these doors, Roman could catch glimpses of the officers and their desks. On the other side of the room was another set of doors, these were closed tightly and had an officer standing guard next to them. An officer walked up to the guard and showed him her badge. He pushed a button on the desk in front of him and the doors unlocked with a metallic click. The officer walked through one and into a stairwell going down.

Patton gave Roman a small push to keep him walking as he looked around the space. Logan went straight to the center desk and asked for Officer Thomas Sanders.

“Wait, Sanders?” Virgil asked, turning to Patton as the lady at the desk called for the officer to come to the lobby. “Are you guys related?”

“Nope, just a happy accident,” Patton said cheerfully. “We did all go to college together though. Small world, huh kiddos?” Roman nodded stiffly but didn’t say anything.

“Yeah, infinitesimal,” Virgil said with a smirk as Logan walked over. “Wouldn’t ya say, teach?”

“That was one time, Virgil!” Logan said with a huff. As they all went to sit down on a couch to wait. “I regret allowing Patton to tell you that story.”

“Oh come on, Logan,” Patton laughed. “It was pretty funny if you think about it.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Logan said, crossing his arms and trying to turn his smile into a grimace and failing horribly. They all burst out laughing and Logan gave up, giving his partner a fond smile.

“Patton, Logan, good to see you guys again,” A man said as he came over, the laughter died almost instantly. He had warm brown eyes and hair to match. His smile was wide and welcoming. “I only wish it were under better circumstances.”

“Hello Thomas,” Logan stood up to shake the man’s hand.

“Hey there, kiddo,” Patton stood up and gave the man a quick hug.

“Man, you two haven’t changed a bit,” Thomas said, ruffling his hair with one hand. “I take it this is Roman and Virgil?” The teens stood to greet Thomas. Roman let go of Virgil’s hand as they stood and shook Thomas’ outstretched one. Virgil did the same before taking Roman’s hand again.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you both,” Thomas said with a smile. “Shall we go into the back? We can talk in the conference room instead of at my little desk.”

“Sure, Thomas,” Logan nodded. “We’ll follow you.”

Thomas led them back through the double doors he’d come out of and into the office area of the station. There were at least 40 desks crammed into the large room, facing each other in pairs. Thomas led them to a room off to the side with big windows that overlooked the whole room. As he stepped in, he drew the blinds on the windows to give them privacy. Roman swallowed thickly and squeezed Virgil’s hand. Virgil turned to look at him. He looked downright terrified. Virgil squeezed back and tightened his grip on Roman’s hand. They sat down at the long wooden table that dominated the room. Their joined hands laying on the arm of Roman’s chair. Patton sat next to Roman and Logan took the seat next to Virgil. Thomas closed the door, drew the blind on that too, and took a seat on the opposite side of the table. He pulled a thick folder towards him from where it’d been laying in the middle of the table. He opened it and Roman’s school picture was paperclipped to the top sheet.

“Alright, so Roman you know that Patton has been filing anonymous reports on your behalf for the last 3 months, right?” Thomas asked as he flipped through the thick stack. Roman nodded before realizing that he should probably say something.

“Uhm, yeah, he told me he’d been doing that,” Roman said quietly.

“When was the first incident?” Thomas asked as he scanned a page. “The first report I have is from late September.”

“I first noticed the bruises around the second week of classes, so end of August early September,” Logan said adjusting his glasses. “I brought him to Patton a couple weeks later when he came to school with a split lip and a black eye.”

“Alright,” Thomas said, jotting everything down on a notepad. “Patton, that was when you first reached out to me wasn’t it?”

“Yeah it was, Logan had said that Roman was showing up for school hurt for a couple weeks,” Patton said looking at Roman. “We didn’t know why until that night though.”

“I did,” Virgil said quietly. Logan and Patton’s eyes widened as they look at him. “I’d known all summer.”

“Virgil, why didn’t you tell us?” Patton asked sadly.

“I asked him not to,” Roman hung his head. “Virgil had seen my father throw a plate at the back of my head as I left the house one day. I had left a couple dishes in the sink instead of putting them in the dishwasher like I was supposed to.”

“Virgil, was that the only incident you saw?” Thomas asked as he wrote.

“No,” Virgil looked at Roman before continuing. “I’d made it a habit to walk by Roman’s house whenever I could. I saw his dad hit him with books, throw him against walls, punch walls near his head. I heard him yelling things at Roman. About how he was worthless, a disappointment, not any good at anything. That’s when I asked Roman what was going on.”

“How long had this been happening, Roman?” Thomas asked with concern.

“I guess it’d always been bad,” Roman shrugged. “It got worse last year when my step-mom left him for someone without any kids. He blamed me for that but he hadn’t been nice to her either. It was mostly verbal stuff though but when she left…” Roman’s eyes started to sting with the tears he was holding back. Not wanting to cry in front of the officer.

“Are you still in contact with her?” Thomas asked. Roman shook his head.

“I-I haven’t heard from her since she left,” Roman said, still trying to stop the tears. Virgil squeezed his hand tightly and started rubbing circles again.

“Were there any incidents after Patton started filing reports that we don’t have records of yet?” Thomas asked.

“I don’t think so,” Roman glanced at Patton. “A couple weeks after I first went over to their house, Logan invited me to come every night for dinner. And I started coming for breakfast too soon after.”

“Well, we’ll need to fill out reports for the incidents during the summer and prior to that. As well as reports for the last two days,” Thomas said as he closed the file. “Let me go get a computer and we can start filling those out, ok?” Thomas stood to leave when a young officer poked his head in the room. Shouts could be heard from the lobby.

“Sanders, we have a situation out here,” the officer said.

“What’s going on?” Thomas asked, his forehead creasing as the shouts got louder.

“It’s Mr. Prince, he’s here and demanding his son.”


	8. Part 7

“It’s Mr. Prince, he’s here and he’s demanding his son.”

Roman froze at the words and could feel panic rising in his throat. Virgil was on the verge of having a full-blown panic attack. Roman squeezed Virgil’s hand, hard. Patton and Logan stood up defensively and stood between the teens and the door.

“Where’s the Captain?” Thomas asked the younger officer, his voice tense.

“In the lobby trying to diffuse the situation,” The officer replied. “Sanders, whatever you’re gunna do, you better do it fast cause this guy is pissed.”

“Roman, how old are you?” Thomas turned back to the group. Roman swallowed thickly before saying that he was almost 15. Thomas swore under his breath. “Ok, hang on, lemme think…” After a few moments, Thomas seemed to have an idea. “Roman, where will you be staying-“

“Roman will be staying with us,” Logan interrupted with no room for argument.

“Perfect, hang tight guys,” Thomas said as he just about ran from the room. “I’m gunna bring a friend in to help.” The group had barely shared a glance when Thomas pulled a young woman into the room. He told the young officer outside to alert him if Mr. Prince or the Captain came back and closed the door.

“Hello, my name is Valerie. I work with Child Protective Services,” The woman was a few inches shorter than Thomas with short brown hair and lightly tanned skin. Her smile was warm and her brown eyes were warm. She wore a yellow leather jacket, skinny jeans, and a black blouse with white polka dots. She extended her left hand to Roman first. He quickly released Virgil’s hand to shake Valerie’s. “You must be Roman, Thomas has been quite worried about you.” Thomas sputtered and Valerie laughed a pretty, musical laugh that made her eyes crinkle.

“Val, this is Patton and Logan Sanders,” Thomas drew her attention again and she shook hands with the adults. “And this is Virgil Dunn.” Valerie extended her hand to Virgil as well. As she rounded the table to sit with Thomas, Virgil took Roman’s hand once again.

“Alright Roman, so this is going to be a little simpler than it normally would be since I’ve already read over the reports at Thomas’ request this morning. So all I need to do is have you tell me about the past two days and any details that you told Thomas that weren’t in those reports. After that, I can determine if you aren’t safe where you are and put you in the care of Logan and Patton. Do you think you can do that for me?”

Roman nodded and took a deep breath. He started retelling Valerie everything they had just told Thomas. The woman smiled sadly as she listened, glancing at Thomas often out of the corner of her eye. When Roman had finished recounting the events of the last 2 days, Valerie folded her hands in front of her.

“Can I have just a moment alone with Roman?” Valerie asked. “I just have a few questions I need to ask him in private. It’s just procedure, nothing to worry about.”

“Roman?” Patton turned to him for an answer. Roman nodded and squeezed Virgil’s hand one last time as the three stood and left the room, leaving Roman alone with Thomas and Valerie.

“Roman, would you like Thomas to stay?” Valerie asked kindly. “If it would make you more comfortable, he can stay while we go through these.” Roman nodded, suddenly finding the table very interesting as he avoided looking at either of them.

“Roman, do you feel safe at the Sanders’ house?” Valerie asked. His head snapped up at the question. His eyes blown wide at the thought of not feeling safe there.

“O-of course!” Roman stammered breathlessly. “They’ve been more than kind to me. It was their idea for me to leave and stay with them.”

“It wasn’t your idea to leave?” Valerie glanced at Thomas before looking back to Roman.

“I-I mean… I wanted to… but I didn’t want to burden them with having to help me escape,” Roman rambled, gaze back on the table. “They told me that they’d had enough and were going to help me get out of there. They had a plan for getting me to a safe place. For bringing me home, to their home.” When Roman glanced back up, Valerie was smiling at him with a look akin to sympathy or maybe relief in her eyes.

“And Logan, he’s your teacher, right?” Roman nodded. “How did you meet Patton?”

“Logan brought me home after school one day when I showed up to school with a split lip and a black eye. Patton patched me up that night and has done so every time since.” Roman smiled a little thinking about them. Valerie’s smile grew softer.

“One last question, are you at all afraid that the Sanders’ won’t be able to keep you safe?” She asked sadly. “I hate having to ask, but I have to.”

“No.” Roman said firmly. “I have no doubt that they will do everything in their combined power to keep me safe. Same for their own children and Virgil. They’ve done it already.”

“Their own children?” Valerie blinked at Thomas.

“They adopted two kids, Missy and Jesse,” Roman answered. “They’re 12 and already act like Virgil and I are their older brothers. They know a little bit about what’s happening. More than I would’ve liked them to know.” Roman finished sadly with a sigh.

“Thomas, could you bring the others back in, please?” Roman looked up and met Valerie’s gaze. She held it as the others came back in. Virgil sat next to Roman and took his hand again. Patton and Logan stood behind their chairs. Thomas watched from the doorway. “First, I recommend you get a lawyer, just in case this gets ugly. You will all be under police protection of course and I strongly advise a restraining order-“ The rest was lost as a loud, low voice boomed through the station.

“GET OUT OF MY WAY! I NEED MY SON, WHERE IS HE?!” Roman tensed at the sound and folded in on himself in his chair. Logan, who was standing behind Roman’s chair, gripped the top of it with white knuckles.

“Thomas, the door?” Valerie said calmly. Thomas shut the door and clicked the lock home. “Roman, you will not return to your father’s house except to retrieve your belongings. You will be going home with Patton and Logan.” Patton gasped and covered his mouth with his hands. He looked down at the boy in the chair next to him. Roman’s breath was gone, his jaw had gone slack and his eyes wide as he comprehended what he had just heard. Virgil squeezed his hand as Patton knelt down beside the teens. He placed a hand on Roman’s shoulder causing the boy to turn to look at him. Patton just beamed with relief. Roman let go of Virgil’s hand and flung himself into Patton’s arms as best he could with the chair and his cast. Patton pulled him onto his lap and just held him. Roman was coming home. He looked up at Valerie to see her smiling softly at the sight of the father holding the teen tightly.

The doorknob rattled and Thomas braced himself against the door, not knowing how strong the man on the other side was. Muffled yelling was heard from the other room. Virgil sank to the floor and Patton pulled him into the hug. Logan stepped to put a hand on Patton’s shoulder as he kept an eye on the door.

One of the windows rattled a little as a giant fist slammed into it. The whole group jumped and Roman burrowed into Patton’s chest as the man pulled the teens closer. Patton glanced up nervously at Logan, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. There was more yelling and the sounds of a fight. Roman whimpered a little into Patton’s shirt. Patton shushed him and rubbed circles on his back. After a few minutes, the noise ceased and after a beat of silence someone knocked on the door. Thomas parted the blinds to see the Police Captain. He unlocked the door and glanced at the family before opening the door.

“They can come out now. Mr. Prince has been arrested,” The Captain was a large man with dark skin, a bald head, and hard brown eyes behind a set of wire-rimmed glasses. “He’s charged with trespassing, assaulting an officer, and refusing arrest. He will be charged for these plus any charges that Roman and the Sanders’ will press.” The man looked over to the family and his expression softened. “Come on son, let’s get you home.” Patton slowly let go of the teens and they all stood up. Patton’s arm went around Roman’s shoulders as he stood on his left side. Logan put his arm around Virgil’s shoulders as they thanked Valerie and Thomas for their assistance. They left the conference room to see Mr. Prince being led to a door near the foyer, presumably to be processed. The family froze as Mr. Prince turned to scowl at Roman.

“You don’t know what you’re doing, boy!” The man shouted as two officers pushed his well-built frame towards the door. “They’ll regret taking you in, regret helping a spineless wimp like you once they realize just how much a strain you are! How much of a waste of time you are! Just you wait until they see what I see! You’ll be begging to come back! Why would anyone want to help a pathetic hom-“

“Finish that sentence and we’ll add hate crimes to your list!” The Captain called as the officers finally managed to push the man through the door. But the venom from those green eyes would haunt Roman as the last words of his father called through the door.

“They’ll regret you just like your mother did!” Roman broke. Tears spilling out as he watched the blond head of his father disappear through a swinging door. Patton pulled him closer and Virgil reached for Roman’s hand again.

“Come on, Ro,” Patton whispered soothingly. “Let’s go home.”


	9. Announcement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a chapter, just a heads up!
> 
> Tumblr: @champions-of-spirits

Happy Friday everyone! Part 7 of To Save A Prince is up and I’m working on another exciting series for you all. But while I work on that, I promised that I would be opening requests up today on Tumblr! For those of you who would like to request, you can leave request in the comments of this chapter. I will reply to them to let you know if I'm using them. All of the stories I write from this will be posted on here as their own series. 

So without further ado, here’s the rules:

1) You may send in any prompt you like. It can be dialogue, a plot, or anything your little minds can think up.

2) I WILL NOT write anything with smut/ NSFW

3) I WILL write angst though, just no smut.

4)You can send in any pairings you like.

5) As for Fandoms, I’m only accepting requests for Sanders Sides or my OCs. (If you scroll down far enough on Tumblr you’ll see their stuff or you can check the CoS tag)

6) Once I get your request on Tumblr, I’ll message you with whether or not I’ll be taking it. IF YOU DON’T RECEIVE A MESSAGE WITHIN 48 HOURS OF SENDING IN YOUR REQUEST PLEASE MESSAGE ME TO MAKE SURE I GOT IT. If you are requesting on AO3, I'll reply to the comment.

7) There are some things that I’m not comfortable writing, if that is the reason I give for not taking your request, please be respectful of that.

8) I will be taking requests until June 15th. I will be posting the stories as I write them.

Thank you all so much for reading and leaving comments and kudos! I really do love seeing your reactions to my writing. As mentioned above, I am working on a new series that will come out part by part on Tuesdays once I finish writing it. It's considerably shorter than To Save A Prince, but I'm excited for you guys to see it! As always, be kind in the comments and I'll see you all next week!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading! A huge shoutout and thank you to Roman for beta-ing this for me. If you liked the story, please give it a kudos and leave a comment. I do read all of them and they make me want to write more. There will be more parts coming and I'll probably have to add additional tags. If there are any errors or if there's a tag I should add, please don't be afraid to let me know!
> 
> As always, be kind in the comments!


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